


Songbird

by allsoulsnight



Category: Killing Eve (TV 2018)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:13:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26314723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allsoulsnight/pseuds/allsoulsnight
Summary: Villanelle learns something new about Eve.(Or the one that was supposed to be domesticity but came out super soft instead.)
Relationships: Eve Polastri/Villanelle | Oksana Astankova
Comments: 12
Kudos: 115
Collections: Killing Eve Week 2020





	Songbird

**Author's Note:**

> Set after the bridge scene.
> 
> Inspired by 'Songbird' by Fleetwood Mac, a song that I hold very close to my heart.

_"And the songbirds are singing like they know the score…"_

Eve liked to sing. 

It was something Villanelle didn’t know about her until recently.

It was something that Villanelle loved. 

The first time she'd heard Eve sing, they were driving in a car Villanelle procured to get them out of London. They’d driven late into the night and it was nearing morning. They’d switched drivers and Villanelle had dozed off in the passenger seat despite the music from radio playing softly in the background. She didn't move when she woke however long later, instead she tuned into the other sound that had roused her, her eyes opening only slightly.

The early morning sun was coming up from behind them. The light filtered through the trees and cascaded off of Eve's hair, turning dark curls a beautiful golden brown. Eve's eyes were focused on the road but she was singing along with the radio softly, her voice was beautiful and light, effortlessly hitting every note. By the way her fingers tapped along to the slow beat of the music and her eyes glazed over, Villanelle was sure Eve didn't realize she was even singing along under her breath. 

Villanelle often felt like an outsider to these moments where she watched someone who was unaware. But with Eve this felt entirely different. There was something about it that was soothing, so genuine, so warm. So Villanelle simply watched Eve drive and found her eyes slipping shut again and the ghost of a smile on her lips. She settled into the seat and realized that Eve's dark colored parka had been draped over her sometime in the drive. She inhaled the familiar scent of Eve and just listened, the feeling of pure contentment and Eve’s voice lulling her back to sleep. 

The second time Villanelle had heard Eve sing was only a day later. 

They’d settled at a small bed and breakfast on the southern coast of Scarborough. It was a good place as any to lie low for a bit as a new plan was made for how to move forward.

“Do you want to watch a movie?” Villanelle asked Eve suddenly. She stood with a remote in hand and the complimentary Netflix account queued up on the small television in the room.

It was a stark contrast from the drama of the previous week. Something so simple and domestic, something to slow everything down. "I'd like that."

"You pick, I'll be right back." Villanelle practically ran out of the room to, Eve assumed, the store they'd passed pulling into the bed and breakfast. Not fifteen minutes later Villanelle was back with microwave popcorn, several types of candy, and a bottle of champagne. 

They’d quickly discovered that their taste in movies was similar. Well, similar was a loose term. Villanelle liked almost every type of movie and Eve tended to settle on something a bit more lighthearted, she never turned down a mindless comedy which was why _Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga_ sat on the screen. Villanelle made a face but Eve just shrugged. 

“What? It looked mildly entertaining.” Eve said, settling into the cushions of the small loveseat in front of the small television. 

“Is that the guy from the Christmas movie with the narwhal?” Villanelle asked. 

“ _Elf_?” Eve offered with a small laugh looking at the screen. “Yes, it’s Will Ferrell.” Eve turned her head at the screen and then looked back to Villanelle.

“I liked that movie.” Villanelle said, grabbing the bag of popcorn and settling down next to Eve. “And I like his wig.” Eve gave a small chuckle and pressed play, reaching over and grabbing a handful of popcorn. 

As the movie progressed both women discovered that they both were the type to talk during a movie. Villanelle lacked the ability to hold back her observations and Eve always caught herself offering up some fun fact or story from her past.

“I love ABBA!” Eve whispered under her breath, she tapped her foot along to the vintage clip of ‘Waterloo’ playing on screen.

“Ugh! His accent is horrible.” Villanelle said in reference to the character of Alexander Lemtov, who was convincing as the attractive Russian Eurovision Competitor until he opened his mouth to speak. 

After a while, the movie lulled and Villanelle spoke again. 

“Have you watched the actual Eurovision Song contest?”

“Not until I moved back to London.” Eve replied, sitting on the couch and tucking her feet underneath her. “I grew up watching Star Search.”

“Star Search?” Villanelle asked. “What is that?”

“A singing competition in America.”

“Like American Idol?” 

“Yes but way more eighties. I was so obsessed with it as a kid.” Eve said and then covered her eyes. “God, this conversation is making me feel old. You weren't even alive then.” 

"Age is just a number, Eve..." Villanelle just grinned and shoved a fistful of popcorn in her mouth. A few moments passed and Villanelle spoke up again. “Can you show me some videos sometime? Of Star Search?”

“And risk you making fun of me?” Eve asked. “No, thank you.”

Villanelle pouted and whined, “Eve!” 

“Nope, not happening.”

Villanelle then threw her handful of popcorn at Eve. They both erupted into laughter qs Eve tried to pick popcorn out of her shirt and hair. 

“You missed one.” Villanelle said and reached over for a kernel of popcorn stuck in her curls. Villanelle’s fingers brushed her neck lightly as she pulled it free and threw it back in the bag. "There." Villanelle gave her a soft smile and the air grew thick as their gaze lingered on one another. Eve smiled and exhaled, turning to the television.

After the movie was done, Eve claimed the bathroom first to shower and ready for bed, effectively leaving Villanelle on the couch with the remnants of their movie snacks to clean up. So she did, dutifully, and then began preparations for their sleeping arrangements. After a few minutes, Villanelle began to hear a soft singing from behind the bathroom door. 

“ _Waterloo! I was defeated, you won the war._ ” 

Villanelle dropped the pillow she was holding and crept towards the door to listen more closely.

“ _Waterloo… Promise to love you forever more!_ ”

Eve was singing at a slower, more relaxed pace and it stirred something deep within Villanelle. She smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, pressing her forehead against the door. She willed Eve to continue singing and closed her eyes when she did. Villanelle found her hand lingering on the door handle. 

She imagined what would happen if she opened the door. In a perfect world, Eve would continue to sing even as Villanelle slipped into the shower. She would continue to sing softly even when Villanelle’s arms circled her waist to hold her close. She would sing, even when Villanelle placed featherlight kisses along her shoulders and around to her neck only stopping when she reached her lips...

The shower clicked off and Eve's singing stopped. Villanelle opened her eyes and exhaled. Her chest swelled at the daydream as she moved her hand away from the handle and turned to collect her thoughts and her discarded pillow. 

A few moments later, the door opened and Eve emerged in a bathrobe among a cloud of steam. Her hair hung in wet ringlets over her shoulders as she tried to dry her hair with her towel.

“What is Tiger King?” Eve asked as she looked over at the television. Villanelle had returned to the loveseat but had been staring at the bathroom door when she emerged.

Villanelle shook her head but didn't look away from Eve.

“I like your singing.” Villanelle blurted out.

“Oh god, was I that loud?”

“No, you weren’t.” 

“Were you listening at the door?”

“Only a little." Eve gave a small huff of a laugh and looked away, embarrassed. Villanelle spoke up and leaned forward to catch Eve gaze again. "But it's nice. You should do it more often."

“God, I can’t remember the last time I sang. I used to sing at karaoke but that was with a lot of liquid courage."

“You sang yesterday.” Villanelle offered, again without really thinking about it. “In the car.” 

Eve didn’t know what to say so she just continued to dry her hair. After a moment she settled on a thought. “My Father used to say that I only sang when I was happy."

"Are you happy, Eve?"

Eve furrowed her brow and then dropped her shoulders. "It's hard for me to describe how at ease I feel when I'm with you now." Eve dropped the towel from her hair and moved to sit down beside Villanelle. "It was never like that before."

Villanelle took in the floral scent of Eve's clean hair. "You trust me now."

Eve nodded gently. "Are _you_ happy?"

Her gaze cast downward to the floor. Villanelle immediately thought of her mother, of her family, of Konstantin and Dasha, of Rhian, and... Her eyes glazed over as she lost herself for a moment. She took Eve's hand and gently caressed her open palm instead of answering. 

After a moment, Eve moved a hand under Villanelle’s chin and gently tilted her face back up to look in her eyes. She knew that Villanelle was still plagued by something that Eve knew not of. 

"What can I do?"

"Will you kiss me again?" Villanelle asked as a tear slipped down her cheek. 

Eve's thumb gently brushed it away and she leaned forward to kiss where the tear had landed. She steeled herself for only a moment more before pressing her lips to Villanelle’s tenderly. 

When they finally parted, Villanelle wrapped her arms around Eve's shoulders and hugged her tightly. 

Eve simply held her and began to hum the only song that came to mind. Villanelle knew the refrain.

_"And I love you, I love you, I love you, like never before."_

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry this was late, short, and unedited! Happy KE Week!
> 
> As always, find me on Tumblr: [allsoulsnight!](https://allsoulsnight.tumblr.com/)  
> 


End file.
